With the spotlight on Napster shining so brightly over the past few months, digital media distribution has been pushed into the fast lane.
RealNetworks, along with mobile power Nokia unveiled the Mobile RealPlayer for Nokia’s new 9210 Communicator, a top end phone and PDA in one.
Mobile RealPlayer, the wireless version of Real’s digital media player, is designed specifically for communicators and for Symbian’s EPOC platform, the open operating platform for such communicators and smart phones.
“This announcement with RealNetworks marks an important milestone in the mobile industry, and is a result of the efforts we began in June 2000,”said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Nokia Mobile Phones. “Mobile communication is becoming increasingly visual, now also enabling access to a rich variety of Internet video and audio content on mobile devices. We are pleased that our collaboration has produced a player which offers users of the Nokia 9210 Communicator the possibility to experience content in the leading Internet media format.”
While Real is undoubtedly excited at the prospects of there new player, another Seattle company, HitHive, is also celebrating the greater acceptance of mobile units as media players.
HitHive runs a B2B service, supplying digital music networks to companies, providing customers with infrastructure, technology and content to incorporate digital media into any device. Currently they are powering the system Sprint PCS customers use to access their digital music on their Samsung Uproar Sprint PCS phones.
“(Real and Nokia) are seeing the future in all the digital media played on all these devices,” says Bill Bassett, VP of Marketing at HitHive.
In the minds of those at HitHive, more media-enabled mobile devices hitting the market means more opportunity for customers.
While HitHive is currently focused on Digital Music, they are prepared to move into all types of digital media when the need arises.
The Mobile RealPlayer was unveiled and showcased at Nokia’s stand at the CeBIT 2001 trade fair in Hanover, Germany this week.
